East Marlborough electrical contractor Tri-M marks 50 years

Staff photo by Fran Maye
Jim Musser, left, founder of Tri-M Corp., and CEO Jim Horn stand outside the firm’s headquarters in East Marlborough. Tri-M, which grew from a small start-up to employing nearly 400 people today, is marking its 50th anniversary.

Staff photo by Fran Maye
Jim Musser, left, founder of Tri-M Corp., and CEO Jim Horn stand inside the firm’s headquarters in East Marlborough. Tri-M, which grew from a small start-up to employing nearly 400 people today, is marking its 50th anniversary.

EAST MARLBOROUGH — A few years ago, The Wall Street Journal published an exhaustive report on the odds of start-up businesses succeeding after five years. The conclusion: Most end up failing. Had the Journal included more companies like Tri-M, the results would have been quite different.

Tri-M is a few weeks away from celebrating its 50th anniversary. What started as a two-person electrical contracting company operating out of an old garage is now a multi-million-dollar firm that employs nearly 400 people.

And the way Tri-M became so successful was due in part to founder Tom Musser’s belief that success comes from hiring good people.

“Our first seven or eight people we hired didn’t even come from the electrical field,” Musser said. “They were good, solid, honest, moral people who would work hard. I have always believed in hiring people for the quality of the person, not for their electrical expertise.”

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To make that work, Musser conducted classes at the house of an employee three nights a week to teach them the necessary skills.

Then, he did something many entrepreneurs are afraid to do — he hired people smarter than himself.

“I knew I could never make this company grow by myself,” Musser said. “I knew I had to hire good people and rely on them and give them room to be creative.”

Jim Horn, the company’s CEO and who Musser said does the “heavy lifting,” is an example of Musser’s philosophy. Horn was hired in 1983 as a designer and advanced because he had the skills and was an excellent “people person.”

Horn said that philosophy still thrives at Tri-M.

“We hire for attitude and train for skill,” Horn said. “Our growth has a lot to with our employees. As we grow as a company, (employees) grow in their positions. We wouldn’t be able to hold on to good people if we didn’t have a commitment to growth.’

Understandably, turnover is low at Tri-M because employees love working at a firm that treats them well.

“We lose very few employees to competitors,” Horn said.

Musser believes many start-ups fail to go the distance because entrepreneurs get too comfortable.

“Many (entrepreneurs) get to making good money, and the company’s good and they just ride it out until then turn age 65,” Musser said. “But I believe if you don’t keep growing, you stifle the careers of your employees. I don’t want people who just want a job, I want people who want careers.”

And making it to 50 years, Musser said, involved investing in the community. Few companies do as much for their community as Tri-M.

Last year, officials of the proposed West Grove Garage, a youth center that aids teens with tasks such as homework and English-speaking skills, approached Horn after receiving a quote of $32,000 for electrical work. Tri-M did all the electrical work for free, Horn said, and considered it an investment in the greater community.

Trim-M, in fact, did all electrical work for the Kennett YMCA for free, even the latest expansion project. Among other organizations that Tri-M supports include Kennett Area Senior Center, Kennett Run Charities, United Way, The Mushroom Festival, Po-Mar-Lin Fire Co., Toys for Tots, Unionville Community Fair, Historic Kennett Square, KAU Little League and Kennett Area Community Services, among many others.

“We feel it’s a good investment,” Musser said. “Where ever we go, we want to be a part of the community.”

Interestingly, Tri-M was one of the first local firms to use computers.

“Back in 1984, we had a computer on the job site,” Horn said. “We’ve always believed in technology and have been right there, in the forefront.”

Horn and Musser believe the company’s model is strong enough to survive for the next 50 years.

“Tom and I won’t be here (for the 100th anniversary), but as long as we hire the right people and make sure we stay on the cutting edge, we will be a front runner,” Horn said. “We are very diversified, and there is no limit, we could double the size of our company (in the next 50 years).”

As for Musser, he plans to stay on as long as his health allows.

“In all honesty, I have worked so long in my life, I never really developed hobbies,” he said. “I never played golf and never belonged to a country club. But I enjoy getting up in the morning and going to work. It’s fun.”